SS Carnatic

The 98m long wreck lies at a depth of 24 to 17m and is beautifully overgrown.

On September 12th, 1869 the Carnatic started as a passenger and mail steamer on a long journey from Suez to Bombay. The voyage should be very short, however, because the ship ran aground on Shaab Abu Nuhas the next day and sank on 09/14/1869. On its last trip it was loaded with wine bottles, cotton balls, mail and copper plates.

The passengers were unlucky because they had actually started their journey to Bombay on the ship Pera, which ran aground off Alexandria. Although the flood released it after a few hours, they still had to continue their journey on the much more modern Carnatic. Already used to a lot, the passengers didn’t seem particularly excited when the Carnatic ran aground. The captain informed them that another ship of the shipping company would come to pick them up, the Sumatra. He assumed that the Carnatic would be safe and that there would be no danger to the guests. Unfortunately, this was a miscalculation because the ship sank in the morning. Some passengers were able to save themselves in dinghies, but not all.

Today the wreck lies with its well-preserved bow and aft on a sandy bottom 20-24m deep. The midship and the engine room were largely destroyed. The Carnatic is relatively easy to dive and beautifully overgrown. Huge schools of glass fish can be admired at the bow.

Ship details

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